Figure 24.12 The Book of Durrow, folio 86r, the Initium page from the beginning of St Mark’s Gospel.
red, yellow and green. The emphasis on three- part patterns within the circle is a reference to the Trinity; the panels of three biting dogs to left and right might also have this underlying meaning. The panels of elongated animals in the top and bottom sections are alike, but they are not mirror images of each other. It can be interesting to unravel an animal interlace and see how the leg, tail or jaw can be extended to loop around other limbs or back on itself to fit the artist’s pattern. The inner rows of eight animals refer to the eighth day of the passion of Christ, the Resurrection. The top and bottom patterns have 10 animals in each panel, a reference to St Augustine’s perfect number, 10, which symbolised unity. There are a total of 42 animals on the page, which may be a reference to the 42 generations of the ancestors of Christ.
Origins of the Book
The Book of Durrow is associated with the Columban monastery at Durrow in Co. Offaly. It was probably written in the late 7th or early 8th century.
Search online for more images of the Book of Durrow. Make sketches and take notes to use in your studio or written work.
Figure 24.13 The Book of Durrow, folio 192v, animal interlace carpet page at the beginning of St John’s Gospel.
The book we see today is in remarkably good condition considering the ups and downs of its 1,300 years of existence. It was knocked about during its enshrining in a metal cumdach (book shrine) in 916 and its value as a miraculous object led its keepers in the 17th century to dip it in water that they used to cure sick cattle, which caused some staining and loss of colour. It has been in the care of Trinity College Library in Dublin since the late 17th century and was completely restored and rebound in 1954.
